Vehicle



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. J. BURNSHIRE. VEHICLE Patehted Aug. 25,1896.

2 H R I H S N R U B J J VEHICLE.

No. 566,374. Patented Aug. 25, 1896.

wwWe/MM/ m: NORRIS PETERS c .NlTiED STATES JOHN J. BURNSHIRE, OF DAYTON,VIRGINIA.

VEHICLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 566,374, dated August25, 1896..

Application filed October 2, 1895.

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known'that I, JOHN J. BURNSHIRE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dayton, in the county of Rockingham and State of Virginia,have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Vehicles, of whichthe by means of a system of levers, hereinafter designated spreaders, aswill be hereinafter more particularly described, whereby the object ofthe invention is accomplished.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, in the severalfigures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure l is abottom plan view. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectiontaken in the plane of line 3 3, Figs. 1 and 2, looking toward the left;and Fig. 4 is a vertical crosssection taken in the plane of line 4 4,Figs. 1 and 2, looking to the right.

a may represent the body of the vehicle; I), the front axle; o, the rearaxle, and d the perch, which is secured tothe front and rear axles inany usual or approved manner. I have herein shown the perch as bentaround into a U shape at d and embracing the front axle at top andbottom and so serving as a a substitute for a fifth-wheel.

The springs hereinafter described may be of the general characterillustrated, or they may be of rubber, or they maybe of any otherapproved construction, so long as they have the capacity of operationhereinafter mentioned. The spring, in order to accommodate itself to thelevers hereinafter mentioned, should be of the compression variety, andwith this statement I will omit further description of the said springs.The front spring 6 is arranged horizontally beneath the front axle, andits ends, which move away from one another in order to get the effectiveforce of the spring, are connected by links f Serial No. 564,435. (Nomodel.)

with right-angled levers g, which are pivoted to the axle by clips h,and these levers 9 have applied to them the rods or spreaders i, theopposite ends of which are flexibly jointed, respectively, to the saidlevers g and the bottom of the body a, so that as the body is depressed,or as the axle rises, the spreaders, acting through the levers g and thelinks f, will get the benefit of the compression of the springs.

The rear spring j may be of a construction similar to the front spring6, and it is arranged below and parallel with the rear axle, and itsopposite ends are connected by links with the L-shaped levers Z, whichare suspended from the axle by clips m. The spreaders n are connected tothe body and the lower ends of the levers Z by flexible joints andoperate substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth of thespreaders '5, but I prefer to add to these spreaders the additionalspreaders, herein shown as composed of bell-crank levers 0, which arepivoted to the perch and their lower ends flexibly connected bylinks pwith the lower ends of the levers Z, while their upper ends areconnected by flexible links 0" with the bodyof the vehicle.

In order to correct the fore-and-aft motion of the body, I interposebetween said body and the perch the compression-springs .3, arranged inany suitable manner. As shown in Fig. 3, if coiled springs are usedtheymay be supplied with a protecting cover or casing. The usualbraces 1. may be applied to the rear axle and perch. The levers g and Zare in the nature of rock-levers, and their fulcrums, respectively, areupon the front and rear axles.

By the use of the spring-levers and spreaders hereinbefore described itwill be apparent that provision is made for taking up shocks and strainsthat may come in any direction upon the vehicle and distributing them insuch manner that their effect and force are lost without disturbing thestability and evenness of the body, thus insuring a very comfortable andeasy-riding vehicle.

The principle of the invention may be stated as comprising theapplication of springs to a vehicle through the intervention of a levermechanism in the nature of spreaders, and within that principle I wishto include as within my invention such modifications as may be necessaryto adapt the same to vehicles of different sorts, and specifically wishto be understood as not limiting my invention to the details ofconstruction and arrangement herein shown and described, such details,excepting as hereinafter claimed, being merely an illustration of theprinciple of the invention.

WVhat I claim is- 1. A compression-spring adapted to be suspended froman axle lengthwise of itself and said axle, combined with rock-leversconnected with opposite ends of said spring, and spreaders pivotallyapplied to said rock-levers at one of their ends and adapted to bepivotally applied to the body of a vehicle at their other ends,substantially as described.

2. A compression-spring constructed to be suspended from a vehicle-axlelengthwise of itself and the axle, combined with rock-levers adapted tobe fulcrumed upon the axle, jointed connections between the rock-leversand spring, and spreaders adapted to be interposed between thevehicle-body and the ends of said rock-levers and connected to both bymeans of flexible joints, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a compressionspring, rock-levers fulcrumed to theaxle and flexibly connected with opposite ends of said.

spring, spreaders flexibly connected with said rock-levers and with thebody of the vehicle, and supplemental bell crank levers ful crumed tothe perch of the vehicle and having their opposite ends connectedflexibly, respectively with the said rock-levers and with the body ofthe vehicle, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a vehicle-bodyiront and rear axles, the perchconnecting said axles, the springs suspended lengthwise from the saidaxle and connected with the body of the vehicle through the interventionof a series of levers and connecting Spreaders, and the fore-and-aftmotion-springs applied between the body and perch, substantially asdescribed. g

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 30th day ofSeptember, A. D. 1805.

JOHN J. BURNSHIRE.

WVitnesses:

G. S. MEssULEY, Gno. W. Hnss.

